Paper



4 2 Sheete-Sheet L C1 MOORE.

Machine for Cutting and Folding Paper.

No. l6,256a Patented Dec. 16, 1856.

Fig.1.

. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. C. MOORE.

Machine for Cutting and Folding Paper.

No. l6,256. Patented Dec. 16, 1856.

1 I r H mm mm: 1

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES MOORE, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, WM. G. SHELDON, AND LORENZO B. CHANDLER.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND FOLDING PAPER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,256, dated December 16, 1856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES Moon, of the city and county of Hartford, in the State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Machine for Cutting and Folding Paper for Books, Pamphlets, and Similar Purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of this invention consists in so constructing and arranging the machine in all its parts that it will throw a single sheet of paper upon its folding surface at the same time cutting it in halves, fold each half once, then by its secondary cutting it is when thus folded cut into quarters, each quarter afterward receiving one or more folds as described; its back margin punctured and then thrown from the machine. Also, so arranging the different parts of the machine, that different sized sheets may be folded thereon, and at the same time be readily adjusted from one size to another; thereby saving or avoiding the necessity of having a machine for every different sized folio.

In the drawing Figure 1 represents a side elevation. Fig. 2 represents an end, and Fig. 3 is the plainer or top view. In Fig. 1 a part is removed to show the position and situation of the cams, levers and other parts of the operating mechanism, as shown at the right of the drawing. In Fig. 3 also on the right of the drawing, the folding blades are removed to show the racks and other parts which actuate the folders.

In these drawings, like letters and characters refer to similar parts.

A, is the main bed of the machine; 13, B, are the legs or frame supporting it; C, C, are the sliding beds, which are made so as to be capable of being moved or adjusted upon the main bed A, to the differentsizes of sheets; that is, for a small sheet, to be moved in toward the center, and for larger size outward again; while the machine is in operation, these beds remain stationary, being secured by bolts screwed into it from the under side. To the main bed; to the ends of these sliding beds the side pieces or hangers D, D, are fastened which support all these parts necessary to complete the cutting and folding, after the sheet has been thrown on, and cut in two parts by the primary frisket and cutters; the object of this arrangement is, that when the beds C, C, are moved in the manner above described, the driving mechanism need not be disturbed.

E E and the shafts upon which the cams from which all the folding operations are produced, are situated.

F is the shaft which connects them, and by means of the bevel gears G, G, imparts an equal and simultaneous motion to each, the drivers each being made with a long hub which serves as a journal to the shaft and revolving within the bearings H, H. These gears are so fitted to the shaft that while the shaft turns the gear, it allows it to slide endwise upon it, said gear being held in conjunction with its fellows by means of the bearing H. The shaft F, is held in its place by means of another or third bearing I, which is fastened to the frame of the machine; and the shaft being made with shoulders or collars fitting to the ends of said bearings prevents all motion endwise of the said shaft. This shaft F, receives its motion from a constant force applied to another set of gears shown at K and L, or in any convenient manner.

M, is a large cam situated upon the shaft F, shown best in Fig. 1. It has an irregular shaped groove around it, in which a friction roll on the lower end of lever N, follows as it revolves; in the drawing, the irregular part is directly behind the cam, and repre sented as operating upon the lever, which has raised the frisket which throws the sheet on, from a horizontal to a perpendicular position, one fourth part only of the cams surface being requisite to perform the entire operation and return the frisket to its place, or a single side action cam may be employed in conjunction with a spring or any mechanical equivalent therefor.

R, is a frisket composed of several parts whose construction and arrangement is of some importance; first is the straight bar, to which the fingers f f f f, &c., are secured, furnished in the ears which are made fast to the shaft u, so that when the pinion O, is turned, by means of rack P, and connection Q, lever N, the whole frisket receives a corresponding motion, equal or nearly so to a half of a revolution in its extent. This frisket is armed with a blade or shear which operating in conjunction with another blade or shear made stationary and firm upon the bed A, cuts the sheet of paper in halves at the same instant it is thrown on the machine: This blade should be made. as light as can be compatible with suflicient strength to out the sheet at a single clip; it may be well to notice that these blades must necessarily out after the manner of ordinary hand shears beginning at one end and completing the cut at the other, and to secure perfect action must be nicely constructed, and scientifically adjusted. The stationary shear or cutter .is shown in Fig. 3 at T".

V, V, are two long blades of steel extending across the machine supported at each end by the crooked arms or levers e, 6. These blades I denominate crimping blades, they are made with their inner edges beveled off somewhat as shown: their business is as soon as a sheet is thrown on the machine to move forward in a curve over the paper and clasp the same at the precise point or line in which the fold is to be made by the primary folding blade, and to hold it fast in its original position while the folding operation is performed as hereafter shown; the blades are moved forward by means of cams as shown at C Fig. 1, but are carried back to their place again by a spring or some equivalent substitute.

X, X, are the primary folders; each of those folders consists of a long blade of steel reaching the width of the machine, being perfectly plain and well polished on its sides and working edge; underneath each blade runs a small shaft having a small crank or face plate with a crank pin inserted secured upon each end. The folding blade has projecting ears on its under side which take hold upon these crank pins, which in their turn support and impart motion thereto which motion corresponds with the distance of the crank pin from the center of the supporting shaft, an end view of these shafts with face plates and crank pins attached is shown in Fig. 1.

Z, is shaft; Y, the crank pin; a plan is seen on the right of Fig. 3. This shaft is operated by the rack marked 6 Figs. 2 and 3, playing into pinion upon shaft Z, said rack taking its motion from cam 0, Figs. 1 and 2, which as it revolves strikes the friction roll on the lower end of lever Z, the upper end thereof being connected by a pin working in a slot to a projecting ear on said rack, thereby producing the forward motion; when the fold is completed a spring a restores the mechanism to its former position.

The folding blade is provided with an appendagethe rear end of which moving in a horizontal slide keeps the blade in its proper position. These pieces I denominate guiding tails, seen in Figs. 1 and 3 at 6 The primary folders are also furnished each with a secondary frisket which it operates by its own motion or in any other convenient manner. Its object is to carry over that part ofv the shirt which the primary folders operate upon and at the same instant of time; it simply consists of a rectangular frame of iron surrounding the blade on three sides and supported by small brackets attached to bed 0, it is furnished with a convenient number of fingers, the whole made as light as possible to insure facility of motion, two projecting pins at each end of the primary folding blade working in holes in the frames, at the time the blade commences to rise carries the frisket with it and imparts thereto the necessary motion for carrying over the parts to be thrown over to make the fold which will not sustain their own weight.

This machine is designed to fold a double octavo sheet; to that end it is necessary to out the sheet in halves, and afterward it must be out again, that the folios may not be too clumbsy. I have therefor arranged a pair of secondary shears or cutters as shown at T T which when at rest remain in a perpendicular position as shown; the same care and nicety must be observed in the construction of these blades that is set forth in describing the primary. The movable blade is fast to a thimble upon the shaft E and is moved by cam 0 acting conjointly with spring a, through lever Z, rack b, and intermediate gear j, upon the pinion 2', situated upon the thimble h.

V V represent the secondary crimping blades, which unlike the primary, slide endwise over the sheet as soon as the first fold is completed, they are supported by and slide upon small carriages or sliding stocks dovetailed upon the ways upon the side of the pieces marked 0 and to make them bear upon the sheet and clasp it upon the folding surface while the secondary folders make the second fold in the same, I construct each blade with one apron or projection as shown in Fig. 1, which being below the center pin upon which the blade moves, strikes the edge of bed 0 and brings the blade suddenly down when the carriage arrives at the proper point; when the blade is withdrawn it is let free from the sheet, but does not rise till it is entirely clear, when a projecting pin on the back side of the said apron strikes a stationary pin or stop and by its own action is raised to the position shown in Fig. 1; this blade by means of friction about its center of motion can be made to maintain itself in the required position; the forward motion of this slide and blade is produced by means of the cam 0 Fig. 1, operating by means of a lever similar in shape and construction to the one marked d, situated directly behind it, upon the same shaft, but moving loosely on the same, attached to the lever (P, by the connecting bar Q which arrangement causes the shaft A to rock and impart the required motion to the long arms 6 6 The backward motion may be produced by a spring S, S, or any other suitable mechanical device. The secondary folders are constructed and operated upon the same principles and in the same manner as the primary; but the simultaneous action of each folder is produced as follows: There are two I of these folders at each end or upon each 'ated upon the shaft Y as shown.

bed 0, of the machine marked 00 00 in Fig. There is a short perpendicular shaft Y extending a short distance below the bed; to this shaft are fastened two pinions of equal size, one above and one below the bed, in the latter pinion, the rack 6 as seen in Fig. 2, works; operated by the cam 0 and spring a and corresponding lever; the pinion above the bed takes into the racks b 79 which in their turn take into pinions situ- The remaining description of construction and movement is similar to that for the primary folders. The blades n, n, at each end of the machine are the third and last crimping blades, attached to the shaft E Each of these blades has a simultaneous semicircular motion produced by cam 0 through mechanism similar to that described for operating the secondary cutters of which spring a rack 12* and intermediate gear j, are parts; the edge of this blade should be made very thin, but not so as to out. It grasps the sheet or folio the instant the secondary folder leaves it and remains in that position while the third folder brings over the part required to complete the fold, this third folder is used when it is required to fold sixteen (16) mo. or it may be left out entirely; it is moved by the cam 0 which, by means of lever Z and rack b and spring (4 operating to move the pinion and shaft L, Fig. 3, imparts a simultaneous motion to the folders X X which are situated upon and operated by the shaft 2 in the manner described for the primary and secondary folders.

'm, m, m, m, are what I denominate, take offs; a full side elevation of one is shown on the right of Fig. 1; they are made with a bow in order to circumvent the primary crimping blade which when at rest is immediately in close contact therewith. This piece should be made light as possible and possessed of some elasticity as should also the shank of the blade at. This take off is operated by the motion of the blade n, and spring S when the blade 11, comes over and presses upon the paper as shown in Fig. 1, at the right, the pawl p by its own weight or a spring is forced into a notch in the hub which supports the blade it. Therefore when the cam 0 releases the mechanism the spring a carries the blade n and take off mover backward with the folded sheets clasped tightly between them until the part of the pawl projecting beyond the surface of m, as shown strikes against the portion of bed a, projecting upward for that purpose, by which means the pawl is released and the take ofl is immediately thrown back to its original position, in readiness for the next sheet; the sheet then being thrown from the blade at, by centrifugal force. It is my design also to have points arranged upon the folding surface, and have corresponding recesses in the crimping and folding blades that being properly located will" puncture each folio ready for sewing, and upon which if the paper be forced when thrown on the machine will serve materially in keeping the sheet from being moved while being cut and folded.

The sliding or movable pieces 0 are made with an ear or ears and are readily moved by loosening the screws s .9 &c., which take into nuts which slide in slots in the bed 0, 0. The pieces 0 0 are the third movable pieces secured by the same screws and move with the pieces 0 0*, but by means of a slot have another motion at right angles thereto; to these pieces are the bearings, which support the connecting shaft Z, and shaft- Z fastened. The posit-i011 of these pieces, and that of the sliding bed determine the line of fold, the motion and positions of the crimping blades being so arranged that their crimping edges will grasp the paper as near to the edge next the folding blades as possible. Vhen the machine has to be adjusted to a different sized sheet, the sliding beds 0, 0, are loosened up and moved to the proper points, the driving gear G, G, keeping their place as described, and then firmly screwed to its place; then the sliding pieces 0 c are loosened, also the levers 6 c and the small pinions upon the upright shaft Z then pinion upon shaft 2 then bringing the pieces 0 and to the required places, the levers c 0 are moved to their proper place and secured, the pinions upon shafts 2* and are tightened, and after the third crimping blade and take off are adjusted the machine is ready for operating, which is as follows: The sheet to be folded is laid upon the frisket, which at the time is at rest upon a bank or bench which supports the same standing by the machine, the register points which are in the sheet are the proper guide in laying it on the frisket. It is then suddenly thrown on the machine and at the sam time out in two, and the frisket i1nmediately returns; before it gets half the returning distance the blades Z), I), move quickly forward and grasp each half by its center margin, when the primary folders w, m, with the secondary frisket attached throws over the part of the sheet lying upon it; but by the peculiar shape of the cam it stops its motion for an instant, when its fold is nearly completed in order to allow the blade Z), to withdraw, which being done then completes the fold; at the same instant the blades v 0 move over the folded sheet; the primary folder returns; the secondary cutters cut the sheet, and the next instant the secondary folding blades carry over each part of the quartered sheet lying upon them, but stopping an instant in its progress to allow the egress of the blades; then completing the fold, crimping the same tightly, while at the same instant the blades a, n, come over upon the folded sheet pressing it upon the points 79 79 at this instant the pawl upon the hub of the take off drops into the notch in the hub of blade n and when the folders m 13 have performed their parts the cam c releases the lever, and the spring (6 carries over the sheet and throws it entirely from the machine as soon as the pawl p strikes the projecting part of bed 0, 0, and releases the take-off; which instantly flies back before the reception of the next sheet.

The advantages to be obtained in this mode of folding are as follows: First, I get a true and uniform fold in every sheet which is properly laid on, being guided by the holes made by the registering points when printed. Secondly, I avoid all liability to soil the sheets by their off-setting, as all pressure is received on the margin, the printed parts not being necessarily touched by any part moving or stationary of the machine. Thirdly, a great saving of labor thereby accomplishing, by the assistance of one feeder as much as can be done in the same time by eight or ten ordinary hands. Fourthly, I am able on the same machine to fold an octavo or sixteen mo. of various sizes of sheets, limited however, the length of the largest being forty inches, width twenty-seven inches, while the smallest is twentyeight in length by twenty-one in width. This same principle is also applicable to a machine to fold a twelve mo. and twenty-four mo., a little variation in the construction and arrangement being required to produce the second fold, while the secondary cutters orshears would be either dispensed with entirely or used at one side to trim the edge of the sheet or leaf which turns in first.

What I claim as my invention is,

l. I claim the use of a frisket, with a blade or cutter attached thereto in combination with a stationary cutter or blade for the purpose of cutting a sheet of paper in two parts by one and the same operation.

2. I claim the crimping blades 41, o and n operating in the manner substantially as specified and for the purposes set forth.

3. I claim in combination with the crimping blades, the use of folders either with or without the auxiliary frisket when constructed and operated substantially in the manner set forth.

4. I claim the use of auxiliary friskets when operated by projecting pins, or by any other competent mechanism in conjunction with the folder to carry over such parts of the sheet to be folded as will not, when operated upon by the folding blade sustain and carry over their own weight.

5. I claim the combined contrivance of the take-0H and the crimping blade of the last fold or the combination of the take-off with any other blade, designed to cooperate therewith, for the purpose of clasping the folded sheet or sheets and of carrying them off and of discharging them from the machine.

6. I claim the arrangement of the spring and pawl, or their equivalents, operating the take-off in the manner specified.

7. I claim the use of sliding or movable beds C, C, with hanging sides D, D, as a means of arranging the cutting, crimping and folding mechanism and all the cams, levers, springs, racks &c. which operate the same so that the machine may be expanded or contracted without disarranging the parts, on which the proper motions depend.

8. I claim the punching points or pins, in connection with the corresponding holes of the crimping blade 11-.

Signed in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES MOORE.

Witnesses HEZEKIAH CONANT,

S. N. CASE. 

